Saudi Arabia says Red Sea SAMREF refinery hit in Iranian drone attack
The Saudi Defense Ministry said a drone hit the country’s SAMREF refinery in the port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea on Thursday.
The ministry said a “damage assessment is underway.”
The strike comes as drones hit two oil refineries in Kuwait, while Iranian attacks also hit natural gas sites in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates overnight.
Iran appears to be retaliating for the Israeli strike on its South Pars natural gas field Wednesday.
SAMREF is a joint venture between the kingdom’s oil giant Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil. It processes over 400,000 barrels per day.
The attack on the Red Sea facility demonstrates that Iran is attempting to undermine efforts by Saudi Arabia to avoid the de facto blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, but instead shipping oil out of its western ports.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
